Ok guys i finally snagged a 400 block which has already been .030 bored but had a rod knock occuring. So pretty much im gonna refresh the motor up with all new bearing/etc.. and wanna make around 500hp.

My '85 camaro is lonely in the garage with no motor. I've been with LT1's and LS1's for the past 3 years so i may be rusty with the ol' traditional sbc.


Now i wanna keep the stock crank and 5.7 rods, But are the stock ones good enough to hold that much HP? Pistons i will most likely upgrade though. And im searching around for a good camshaft. Still debating what to do with heads.

Anyways if you guys can help me out with some good HP combos or what to do i would appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

 

If your on a budget, I think 500 is going to be tough, although it is a 406. I would replace the rods, (you can get forged ones from either SCAT, Eagle)< get some pistons, I would say you can keep the crank, if its not cracked. If anything, spend most of your money on the lower end. In the future, you can buy heads and put them on, W/O pulling the motor.

 

You might get away with using stock crank/rods with good ARP rod bolts..A cheap forged piston and just make sure to have it balanced. It should live if you keep the rpms down. Power is in the top end and 500 isn't hard if you spend the money right.

Need to know what you're using this for mainly...Daily driver? Weekend racer? Will it be driven a LOT?

I'd find a 10.5-11:1 compression piston for a 64cc head to start. Aluminum

Stock bottom end means limited rpm. Limited rpm means limited power as horsepower is a product of rpm. That means this will be a streetable pump gas engine probably. I'd still buy good parts so that once the bottom end is upgraded, you can do a higher rpm cam and intake and shoot for 600+hp in the future. For now I'd do this:

Nothing bigger than a 210cc head.
Nothing furthur than 240 duration @ .050" (I'd do a solid roller also if it's low mileage)
Dual plane Intake Manifold
custom holley carb (unless you're EFI bound).

These parts would make good power UNDER 6500rpm, which is where I'd limit a stock crank/rods. To be more specific I'd do AFR 210cc heads, a custom made solid roller cam from Cam Motion, Jay Allen, or Bullet, Comp solid roller lifters, A port matched Air Gap RPM Intake, a Pro System's built custom holley carb.

Have the cam made for the heads/intake you choose...and THEN have the carb made for the cam/heads/intake you choose. Should make great power/torque with 400 cubes. If you later decide on stronger internals, you can then do a more aggressive cam, a single plane intake, and spin it way past 6500rpm. Those heads can support a lot more than 500hp. Goodluck!

 

You may wish to check the rod length for the 400" small block. My sources indicate that the standard length rod for that combination is 5.565" not 5.7". Of course, if you use the stock crank and order pistons with the stock 400" pin height you'll be fine.